Safety of victims is always first priority

MORE Queensland women are continuing to seek domestic and family violence support from DV Connect.

We want women in domestic and family violence situations to know the support is there for them, and help is available.

The most dangerous time for a woman and her children fleeing violence is when she makes the decision to leave.

Their safety is always paramount, and it is our responsibility to assess the safety of any potential placement for these women.

We must take into account their individual circumstances and find them the right accommodation. There has been no directive issued to us about what shelters we can and cannot refer women to.

We have to be sure we are referring women to a place where they will be safe. It was our decision to stop referring women to private shelters due to the large number of different services that have started popping up around the state.

I told my management team that I wanted to slow down and be sure about our own duty of care when referring to services that are not registered with the Queensland Government.

We want to get women out of motels and into more appropriate accommodation, but we need to ensure their safety first and foremost.